14-7 And when your Lord made it known: If you are grateful, I will give you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe.a
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌۭ (۷)
14-7a: Allah has made known here a general principle that when a person is grateful for a blessing then more blessings follow, while the outcome of ungratefulness is sorrow. For the meaning of شَكَرْ or grateful, see 2:52a. In a practical sense, being grateful means making full use of all resources that Allah has provided to achieve that blessing, and this rule applies both to physical and spiritual blessings. Allah has kept the potential in the earth to provide nutrients to a seed and gratefulness for this blessing is to plant the seed. Similarly, Allah has kept the potential in the human soul to increase its hidden strengths by following Divine revelation and gratefulness for this blessing is to accept and act on the Divine revelation. Those who act according to this principle reap benefits and those who do not suffer deprivation and sorrow.
14-8 And Moses said: If you are ungrateful, you and all those on earth, then Allah is surely Self-sufficient, Praised.a
وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰٓ إِن تَكْفُرُوٓا۟ أَنتُمْ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًۭا فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ (۸)
14-8a: The meaning is that Allah is not affected at all by disbelief whether it is in the form of rejecting Him or being ungrateful to Him. Allah does not benefit if someone believes or is grateful and neither is he harmed by ungratefulness and disbelief, because He is not in need of any of these things. Similarly, praising Allah has no effect on His majesty.
14-9 Has not the account reached you of those before you, of the people of Noah and ‘Ad and Thamud — and those after them? None knows them but Allah. Their messengers came to them with clear arguments, but they thrust their hands into their mouths and said: We deny that with which you are sent, and surely we are in serious doubt as to that to which you invite us.a
أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَؤُا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍۢ وَعَادٍۢ وَثَمُودَ ۛ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ ۛ لَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ۚ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَرَدُّوٓا۟ أَيْدِيَهُمْ فِىٓ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَقَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كَفَرْنَا بِمَآ أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِۦ وَإِنَّا لَفِى شَكٍّۢ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَنَآ إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍۢ (۹)
14-9a: رَدُّوٓا۟ أَيْدِيَهُمْ فِىٓ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ – This can be interpreted in three ways. The first is that the disbelievers bite their hands in their rage and fury by putting their hands in their mouth. A similar expression is also used elsewhere to show anger: عَضُّوا۟ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْأَنَامِلَ مِنَ ٱلْغَيْظِ :they bite (their) finger tips in rage against you (3:119). A second interpretation is that they put their hands before their mouth as a gesture to stay quiet, and a third interpretation is that they put their hands in the mouth of prophets, that is to shut them up and stop them from speaking. The use of the word ردّ is to show that they do this repeatedly (R).
The narrative here has been changed from Moses and made general. It is then stated that there have been many nations that are known only to Allah, that is they have passed away and left no trace in history. Based on these words, Ibn Masud states that genealogists who trace human ancestry all the way to Adam are in error.
14-10 Their messengers said: Is there doubt about Allah, the Maker of the heavens and the earth? He invites you to forgive you your faults and to respite you till an appointed term. They said: You are nothing but mortals like us; you wish to turn us away from that which our fathers used to worship; so bring us clear authority.a
قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ أَفِى ٱللَّهِ شَكٌّۭ فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّۭى ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَـٰنٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ (۱۰)
14-10a: سُلْطَـٰنٍۢ – For the meaning of سلطان see 3-151a. In the previous verse, it is stated that the messengers came to them with clear signs, that is with convincing arguments. Here they ask for clear authority which shows that their demand is for truth to prevail as they had been told that it would.
14-11 Their messengers said to them: We are nothing but mortals like yourselves, but Allah bestows (His) favors on whom He pleases of His servants. And it is not for us to bring you an authority, except by Allah’s permission. And on Allah let the believers rely.
قَالَتْ لَهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ إِن نَّحْنُ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَمُنُّ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لَنَآ أَن نَّأْتِيَكُم بِسُلْطَـٰنٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ (۱۱)
14-12 And why should we not rely on Allah? and He has indeed guided us in our ways. And we would certainly bear with patience your persecution of us. And on Allah should the reliant rely. a
وَمَا لَنَآ أَلَّا نَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ وَقَدْ هَدَىٰنَا سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَلَنَصْبِرَنَّ عَلَىٰ مَآ ءَاذَيْتُمُونَا ۚ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ (۱۲)
14-12a: Although the narration is general and applies to all prophets, but the specific reference is to the Holy Prophet.
Bayan-ul-Quran 